Rights activists and journalists say they object to the prince's regional tour because of Saudi Arabia's record on press freedom and human rights.

US media has reported that the CIA blames Mohammed bin Salman for the gruesome murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey last month.

But Saudi Arabia says the claims are false and insisted that the crown prince knew nothing about plans for the killing.

US President Donald Trump has also dismissed the accusations, contradicting his own national intelligence agency.

Protests and strike action by Tunisians have made international headlines in recent years.

In 2011, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, who had led Tunisia for 23 years, was toppled amid an unprecedented wave of protests sparked by anger over high unemployment and poverty.

And just last week, Tunisia saw its biggest strike in five years as 650,000 public sector workers protested against low pay.